The news broke Friday evening, as it so often did with this particular case: A high-profile politico behind the successful campaigns of San Francisco's current mayor and a few of the city's Supervisors has at long last been sentenced, nearly two years after he was first arrested for "possession of over 600 images of minors engaging in sexual acts," police said at the time.
Enrique Pearce, a lawyer and the founder of political consultancy Left Coast Communications and the man behind campaigns for Ed Lee, Supes Jane Kim and Norman Yee, former Supe Christina Olague, U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland, and Board of Education members Sandra Lee Fewer and Hydra Mendoza, was arrested in May of 2015 after an unnamed tipster brought him to the attention of investigators. A search warrant served on Pearce's residence uncovered the porn, much of which involved children and "sexual sadism or sexual masochism," as well as a stolen parking meter.
Police said at the time that they also recovered over 100 photos of children taken around the city, apparently by Pearce and without the kids' knowledge. Pearce was arrested, and promptly posted $215,000 bond, spending "less than 24 hours" in San Francisco County Jail.
The case dragged on for over a year as Pearce remained free on bail. It wasn't until a Friday in December 2016 that Pearce pled guilty to one count of possession of child porn, two counts of distributing child pornography, and one count of buying or receiving stolen property (that pesky parking meter).
His sentencing also took a bit longer than you might expect: In January, Judge Rene Navarro indicated that Pearce would receive a sentence of six months of home detention, which with good behavior would be halved. This was to the dismay of the San Francisco District Attorney's office, which under state rules does not get a say in the sentence of a plea deal. It was the San Francisco Sheriff's Department that put the kibosh on that deal, saying that they were unwilling to approve Pearce for its electronic monitoring program as in San Francisco, people convicted of child porn charges aren't eligible for the ankle bracelet.
“The judge may check a box on a sentencing document indicating an alternative sentence to jail is approved, but the jail ultimately has the authority for protecting public safety and determining the most appropriate sentence for an individual," Sheriff's Department spokesperson Eileen Hirst said at the time.
Bay City News reports that "Pearce had considered withdrawing his plea after it became clear he would be unable to serve the jail sentence on house arrest," but opted Friday to face the music, such as it is. That's the day he was sentenced to six months in San Francisco County Jail, as well as a two day sentence for an earlier DUI offense to which he also admitted, the Chron reports.
According to the Ex, prosecutors "objected to the sentencing and asked for prison time," but Navarro opted instead to allow Pearce to serve his sentence out in the kinder environs of county jail.
Following his jail sentence, the now 42-year-old Pearce will serve five years of probation, and for the rest of his life will be listed as a sex offender.
“I think it’s very light. This is not a victimless crime,” Patty Schimek, a representative of child advocacy organization Partners in Prevention who attended Pearce's sentencing told the Chron. “We know these images are out there forever.”
Pearce is expected to surrender Tuesday, after which he will spend his first (of many) nights in San Francisco's jail.
